Box structure



Sept. 13, 1938. J, MEIER 2,130,019

BOX S'I'RUCTURE Filed Feb. 4, 1937 Sheets-Sheet l /2 lNvzly'rpg. I JOSHUA M515? ATTORNEYS f INVENTOR if v I JOSH/1H M5151? I 8 I =Qk BYDQN"? 'y Sept. 13, 1938. MEIER 2,130,019

BOX STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 4, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept; 13, 193% urran stares PATENT @FFICE 2 illaiins.

This invention relates to box structures, and particularly to boxes of the type generally used for the transportation and storage of hats, sweaters, scarfs, shoes, or other articles. More particularly it relates to a box, the walls of which may be removed, folded, and inserted within the bottom and top members to diminish the space required for storage and shipping of the empty container.

An object of the invention is to provide a box having side walls removably attached to the bottom, and readily foldable for insertion in that bottom.

Another object of the invention is to so proportion the top and bottom members of the box structure that they may, together, without using the foldable side walls, comprise a shallow box in which the foldable side walls may be stored. This shallow box may likewise be used for the storage or shipping of other articles.

It will be seen that due to this usage of the top and bottom members, to form either a shallow or deep box, it is possible for a vendor to have at hand box structures which may be combined to form either shallow or deep boxes which, de-

which the side walls may be made of transparent material such as cellulose acetate, thus facilitating the use of the box as a storage device, since the contents may be readily viewed without removing the 'cover.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box structure with transparent side walls in which the side wall panels are joined together without using cement.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear when the following specification is considered inconnection 'withthe annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box as it would appear with the side walls removed, and inserted within'the shallow box structure;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the manner of assembling the top; side walls, and bottom into a structure suitable for use as a hat box;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the assembled hat box;

Figure 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 4 l of Figure 1, showing how the side walls appear when folded and inserted in the shallow box;

Figure 5 is a planview of the box bottom with 55 the side walls folded and placed therein; and

, Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-section of the assembled box structure of Figure 3, showing the construction of the side wall portion of the box, and the mode of fastening the side walls to the upturned edges of the box bottom. 5

As shown in Figure l, the top of the box ii is of the usual square or rectangular form; it may be made of cardboard, or any other suitable material, preferably covered with a fabric in order to improve its appearance. The, bottom I2 .10 is likewise constructed of cardboard, or other suitable material, and is so proportioned that the upturned flanges thereof fit within the downwardly extended edges of the top member II. This structure consisting of the top and bottom 15 alone'is in itself complete, and forms a box which is useful for packaging small articles, for example, scarfs, gloves, etc. It also serves to contain the side wall structure of the completed hat box when that structure is folded in the manner 20 hereinafter described.

The upturned flanges of the bottom portion l2 have fastened thereto the female members l3 of snap fasteners of common form. The cooperating male members I4 of the snap fasten- 25 ers are affixed, see Figure 2, to the lower portion of the side walls I8 of the box structure. The sides of the box structure comprise four members or panels I8 which are preferably made of transparent material, suchas cellulose acetate, 30 joined together at their edges by the fabric strips H (see Figure 5). These joining strips I! are inserted one on either side of the edges of adjacent transparent panels I8, and are sewed together by stitching which passes through the panel. Although my invention makes it possible to construct my box without the use of cement, it will be understood thatcement or adhesives may be used to fasten the joining strips or fabric strips to the side panels.

The top edge of each panel has folded thereover, and extending downwardly, a short distance from the edge, a fabric strip 19 the edges of which are similarly stitched together with the stitches passing through the panel or otherwise attached (Figure 2). At the bottom of the panels there is a fabric strip l5 which is folded around the edge of each panel, and extends, a short distance upwardly, the edges of which are stitched together through the various panels. There .is also along the bottom edge of each panel H3 at the inside thereof a reinforcing strip [6 which may be of cardboard or other suitable material, and which is stitched to the strip [5 and to the panel. These reinforcing strips I 6 serve to render the side wall structure somewhat rigid, and to assure sufllcient strength in the side wall structure to support itself as well as the box top ii. Similar reinforcing strips may be used along the tops of the side panels if necessary or desirable.

The fabric corner pieces I! are of material which is sufiiciently flexible so that it may be bent, and the side walls folded upon themselves so that they occupy sufficiently small space to be inserted in the shallow box formed by the cover H and bottom H in the manner shown in" Figure 4.

If the material of the side wall panels is very thin acetate or other material having insufllcient strength to support itself, the corner pieces I! and the strips I 9 may be of rigid material such as cardboard. In this case the pieces I! will still be capable of bending along a line at the corner, this being accomplished by scoring the cardboard, or by utilizing cardboards on each panel joined by fabric strips or by like expedients.

Due to the construction described the side wall panels may be bent somewhat without permanently denting the acetate or other material of which they are formed, whereas in the usual structure of the present day, the acetate side walls are held rigidly in position and are readily dented. In addition, this structure obviates the necessity for using any kind of cement as a joint between the acetate or other similar surfaces, and thus precludes the failure of such a joint.

A retailer who utilized the invention could have on hand a large number of the shallow boxes formed from the bottom I! and tops ii, and a small number of side wall structures, which side wall structures could be readily stored in a portion of the shallow boxes. If the customer-bought an article which was small enough to be packaged in the shallow box, that would be done. If,

on the other hand, a customer should purchase a hat or similar article, it would be necessary merely to remove the side wall structure from one of the boxes, open it out, insert it with its lower edges inside the flanges of the bottom l2, snap the male and female members i3 and H of the snap fasteners together, place the article within the deep box thus formed, and place the cover ll upon the box. The fasteners may be omitted altogether where. the box is only to be used in an upright position, or where the fit is sufilciently snug to hold the parts together. Such a snug fit may be provided by properly proportioning the parts, or by grooving and slotting.

While I have described a perferred embodiment of my invention, I desire not to be limited by this description, but solely by the appended claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is: v

1. A box structure comprising side wall panels of pliable, transparent material, flexible means for joining said panels along the side edges thereof, a bottom, means for detachably securing said panels to said bottom, strips of flexible material for protecting the top and bottom edges of said panels, and reinforcing strips afllxed to said panels along the bottom edges thereof to I 

